You do not Know Rome
by ohhthegreatestblinkinglight
Summary: What fools think of Rome as a simple man? The conqueror of all the known world can not, could not be a humble man. Rome is more than a man of civilization. He might actually be the most depraved of all barbarians. Germania knows this all too well.


" Rome. Stop. There is nothing more for you."

A withering gaze focused on the unwelcomed speaker as Romulus clenched his fists and resisted the urge to cut down his former ally. He instead forced a smile upon his lips as he relaxed his hands, " I have no idea what you speak of, Germania."

Germania stepped forward as blue eyes evenly met dark olive," But you do. You no longer need to expand for survival. How much more will you destroy to gain? How many more will you enslave to control?" Romulus scoffed.

What did the ignorant northern barbarian know? For Rome, it was never enough. The greed and wealth that flowed through his veins desired more! Always more! To fuel his momentous empire, to feed his exorbitant appetite, Romulus needed more gold, more slaves, more grain! More is more! Rome could never settle for anything less when there was always more. Luxury and greatness were in his reach. He couldn't let go of it now, not when he had it crushed in his hands.

Romulus could no longer hold his emotions in check. The look in his eyes sharpened frightfully. His gaze could have stabbed the Germanic man's heart. Germania stepped back, suddenly, fearful of the sudden change in the usually humorous man's demeanor.

The Roman beast smelled fear and became excited at the scent of prey.

Romulus, grinning manically, stepped closer to Germania as his hands moved to unsheathe his bloodstained sword," Tell me, Germania. Do you know what I had to suffer to reach this point? Do you know how much it took to build my empire? To make me who I am?"

Germania remained silent.

Laughing, Romulus continued to approach him with sword in hand," It took 400 years of suffering to reach my goal! 400 years of living in fear of my oh-so kind neighbors. 400 years of killing and conquering! Carthage was one of the first to go... That bastard! He deserved much more than starvation. Then, I took the rest of Africa, of Greece, Iberia, Gaul! And finally Egypt. Oh, it was such a pleasure to have them under my control.. Ruler of the Mediterranean, they will speak of me! The Great Rome will rule all!..or kill all. Either way, it will not matter to me."

As the end of his sword just kissed Germania's exposed throat, Romulus snarled out the last of his speech," You think I've only killed outsiders? Ha! What an utter fool you are then, Germania! I have also disposed of my own people! men have died to suit my pleasure. Gladiators, slaves. My bloodlust was never filled. I have even murdered my own useless emperors! The ones who refused to act and expand their power were obstructing the will of the gods. They were killed so that men who suited my needs rose to power. "

Germania refused to be frightened by the promise of death at his neck," What about Ceasar then? Was he killed by you too?"

At this, the sword was removed as sanity and regret flickered back to life behind the Roman's madness,"...No. Ceasar was a great man. His death was a mistake... if only I had been there with him. He would have lived to lead." Romulus dropped his sword to the marble floor as the clatter of the metal rang throughout the imperial hall. His hands moved to cover his face and Romulus shook uncontrollably, trying to suppress his intensifying bestial urges.

"... Germania, what is happening to me?"

* * *

**Not that I want to sound serious, but I started researching Ancient Roman culture... and damn, the deeper you go, the more twisted it gets. **

**Romans were not too opposed to crimes of passions (they actually, erected a statue of a couple that murdered an emperor out of love). They killed and pillaged new territories mercilessly; taking anything of value (which included the women and men (for slaves)). For Carthage, the Romans were so bitter about the Punic Wars that they salted Carthgian land so food couldn't grow, basically starving the people. **

**The infamous gladiators and Colosseum are an example of Roman desire for bloodlust. The fights were culturally celebrated, and the more violent it was, the more enjoyable it was for the public. There were times where a gladiator would go into unarmed against another armed gladiator in order to make the fight more interesting. Sometimes men went against prides of lions. ( Don't even get me started on the emperors.)**

**Sexually, the Romans were also... varied. There are many accounts of pedophilia (Tiberius, an emperor in particular (he threw some of his young sexual partners off a cliff near his vacation home when he became bored)). It was normal for young men to engage in sexual behavior with older men (to experiment with their sexuality and pleasure). And it was not uncommon for some masters and apprentices to have a physically close friendship. **

**...um. Yeah, so the Romans were quite interesting. Maybe I'll write about Roman honor and family traditions next so that you know Romans were not all violent and horny. **


End file.
